And So It Remains
by Ceillean
Summary: Two people find their way back to one another. Only not as they'd expected.


"Oh dear Lords of Halo, this is bad. This is very, _very_ bad."

"Calm down."

"How am I supposed to be calm? I lost a patient!"

Ahm Webb, head nurse of the Coruscanti Psychiatric Hospital, took a deep breath and stared down at the demure woman who couldn't stop shaking. "Keep it together."

Nivian Cath shook her head, strands of curly blond hair falling into her face. "I messed up. I'm so sorry! I should have made sure that the doors were properly sealed, I should have double checked if he'd taken his meds! Oh Lords! I'm going to get fired, aren't I?" She bit her lower lip. "Please don't fire me. I swear it won't ever happen again!"

Ahm gave her a tight lipped smile. Nivian had been brought into the team just a few days earlier and she was doing a good job with average patients. Ahm had no flippin' idea which idiot and put her in charge with special cases, even if it was only for one damned day.

"We need to contact security."

"I already did." Nivian said and a little smile crept onto her face. Like she'd done something worth giving her a pat on the back for.

"Coruscant Security Force. We can't handle this on our own."

"But –"

"Did you read his file?" Ahm demanded, stepping closer and towering above her. "Do you have _any_ idea who we're dealing with? What we're dealing with?"

"I…well…" Nivian stuttered, tucking shaking hands into the pockets of her long white tunic. "He's a patient, just like the others."

Ahm sighed. "He's not. He's a lot more." He whirled around and ripped his com link free of his belt, punching in the emergency frequency for CSF.

This was going to be a very long day yet.

He'd been on the run for almost two days now. CSF was looking for him, the Docs from the hospital were looking for him and it felt like the other half of the galaxy was out to get him, too.

But he wouldn't let himself be caught.

Everyone seemed to think he was crazy but he wasn't. He'd simply made a few mistakes over the past few weeks but he was only human. Humans made mistakes.

Pulling his cloak closer around himself, Kyp made damned sure the hood covered most of his face. He doubted anyone would recognize him but he had to be careful. If security got to him before he completed his mission…he frowned, stopped in his tracks and rubbed his forehead.

There was something he had to do…the reason he'd escaped from the…Force! What the hell was wrong with him?

Pain all but split his skull in two. Kyp doubled over with a loud moan, rubbing his temples and taking deep breaths but nothing helped. His sight blurred and then it was like he'd been staring towards the sun for hours. He could barely see a thing, bright outlines of buildings and people coming his way.

"I have to…go." Kyp muttered, pushing through a thick throng of people. He clipped a few with this shoulder but he couldn't stop. There was somewhere he had to be, somewhere he was needed.

Ever since he'd woken up all those days ago, he could barely remember what had happened. The nurses had drugged him, had made him forget. But he'd tricked them, tricked all of them. Eventually he started to remember again, he saw images like beads on a necklace. But he couldn't make sense of them. Not yet anyway.

That's why he'd had to leave. He knew that where ever he needed to be, there he would find his answers.

He remembered death, he remembered war. He remembered friends and family dying. He remembered the crushing guilt as blood seeped between his fingers, whispered words caressing his skin but – he couldn't make sense of it.

Not yet anyway.

He needed to be somewhere.

Kyp hissed as another volley of pain hit him. His head felt like it was about to explode and a curtain of stars suddenly appeared before his eyes.

"I have to see…her."

And then he suddenly remembered where he had to be.

Hiding in the shadows, Kyp swallowed a lump in his throat. There weren't many people there but he knew them all. He didn't much care for any of them, though. He wished he'd stolen a blaster to stun all of them; it would have made his mission so much easier.

But wait – they used to be his friends. Hadn't they been his friends once? Long ago before…before so many had died?

A frown creased his forehead as he slid along the wall haphazardly, again wondering what he was doing here. He needed to be at the hospital, getting better. His meds –

No!

"I need to be here. There's something…someone here."

He completely cloaked himself in the Force, hiding in the shadows, all but becoming one with the wall. He felt that it wouldn't take long for these strangers to leave. And when they did, he could do what he came here to do.

If only he could remember.

But he was at the right place. This was where he needed to be.

He was sure of it.

About an hour later, people started filing out of the domed chamber. It was a beautiful place with high ceilings decorated with gold and silver symbols. Holographic images in glittering frames showed a smiling woman. His heart broke when he saw her. He could almost hear the pieces dropping to his feet.

By the Force, she was beautiful.

Kyp knew her. But he couldn't remember her name.

Why couldn't he remember her name?

He walked down an empty aisle towards the front of the chamber. There were colorful flowers on display everywhere. But right in the center a mountain of beautiful red roses.

The same color her lips had been.

Kyp frowned. How could he even know – he didn't know the woman!

But he had to. Why else had he come here?

Step after step took him closer to a short flight of stairs. He stopped, calming himself by taking a few deep breaths. He'd broken out of the hospital to come here. There was something he had to do. He couldn't rest if he didn't get this mission done.

He tried never to fail at a mission.

The woman from the holograms lay in an open glass coffin, red roses all around her. Her hair was fanned out on a white pillow, dark brown waves shining beautifully. Her cheeks were still rosy, her lips full and lifted upward into a small smile.

By the Gods, she looked amazing.

She was dead.

Pain pierced his heart and suddenly Kyp remembered. He'd tried to save her, he'd tried to get to her on time. He'd heard her call to him through the Force, asking for assistance but Kyp hadn't made it in time to help her.

No.

He'd made it in time to see the Vong warrior bury his amphistaff into her heart. He'd made it just in time to watch her die, to watch her fall to her knees sputtering blood from her mouth.

Kyp had killed the warrior.

And he'd held Jaina's body, weeping for a life that had ended too early.

He loved her. And there was one thing he had to do before he said good-bye, before he let the past events become reality and change life forever.

Gently, Kyp knelt within the field of red roses. Their sweet scent was beautiful.

And Jaina, as lifeless as she was, was breathtakingly beautiful.

"I'm sorry, Jaina." Kyp whispered softly, dropping a hand to his pockets. "I'm sorry I couldn't save you."

Slowly, he took out a simple golden ring and precariously held it between two fingers. He'd meant to give it to hear months ago but the moment had never been right.

He nearly snorted.

No time better than the present, words to live by.

Kyp leaned forward and slowly took her hand, slipping the golden ring onto her finger. "Will you be my wife, Jaina Solo?" He asked quietly, a single tear running down his face.

The doors to the ceremonial chambers burst open and half a dozen armed security men stormed towards him, blasters raised. Kyp didn't care.

He'd accomplished the one thing he'd wanted to do.

He'd wanted to propose to Jaina and in his mind he heard her say yes.

And he smiled, he laughed as the first security guards came towards him and roughly cuffed his wrists.

Reality was harsh but only until the security guards brought him back to the psychiatric hospital. Kyp knew once they gave him his meds…he'd forget again.

But until then he was happy.

Because Jaina would have said yes.


End file.
